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Buses Essential For Educatio

10th November 1961, Page 112
10th November 1961
Page 112
Page 113
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Page 112, 10th November 1961 — Buses Essential For Educatio
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Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

by John Wilson

ALTHOUGH in certain ways the pattern in Scotland assumes a different form, the school buses there, as elsewhere in the United Kingdom, have become an important segment in both the educational and the road transport structures. For the passenger transport industry, the presence of this regular work provides a valuable stabilizing influence without which quite a number of independent coachowners in Scotland might have difficulty in finding a satisfactory spread of operation.

The steady business arising from school transport services means in effect that some of the less-popular areas are provided with pleasure facilities of various kinds that otherwise they would not have or which could be made avail able only at greatly increased charges. In balancing passenger traffic by introducing this business during off-peak hours, and throughout non-holiday periods, the education authorities have set up an element that has extremely valuable secondary effects.

Up and down the country, in England and Wales of course as well as Scotland, ratepayers have been known to view the charges for scholars' travel with some alarm, which doubtless is the reason why by no means all directors of education are willing to discuss the matter freely. However, assuming the educational programme in itself to be the right one, this is a field where the public is certain of receiving good market value for its money. After all, the provision of scholars' transport is something for which operators customarily tender on a competitive basis. The why and wherefore of this post-war need for school buses, however, is a subject that may repay a moment or two of study.

Why are so many school buses and other transport facilities of this nature required today, and what is the economic justification for them? These two questions demand two separate answers. These explanations I think will show that in the long-term the money which flows in the .direction of the bus-operator's pocket represents the lowest expenditure consistent with securing the desired results. Within the Scottish industrial belt and in the major urban areas, the pattern of school-bus planning is little diffei from that followed in England and Wales, but the probli that face the educational authorities in the more spar populated centres are considerable.

As a result of this fact, the services provided reqi to be highly organized and close co-operation has to maintained between coach operators and education auth ties. In this way the public gets more than a ceri quantity of transport for its money, for with the hi goes a strong measure of social service.

From time to time quite unfair criticism is dire( against county educational authorities and also, on occas against the contract operators concerned, and it is as to bear in mind that both parties are doing no more t carry out the responsibilities which have to be assur by the public under the provisions of current legislatior Free transport must be provided where the appropr school is beyond reasonable walking distance, whicl defined as being two miles for children under eight y( of age and three miles for older scholars. Even the " w; ing does them good" school of thought will hardly qua with this definition of " reasonable." And the aim is course, not only to obviate excessive physical effort also to enable children to avoid the various dangers ; may beset them whilst walking along the road. addition to those facilities, of course, the authorities an obligation to arrange special travel facilities for ndicapped children even though the distances involved )e• considerably less than those quoted.

some districts South of the Border efforts have been in the past to place a limit on the radius over which 1 buses shall operate, but such proposals have not vith success. As transport people will readily appresuch curtailment of facilities would have little effect nning expenses since presumably the same number !hides, with all their standing charges, would be red and the percentage reduction in relation to the miles run would be negligible.

Provided by Law nming up on this point, it is the law of the land and le whim of the county authorities which necessitates ovision of school transport on its present scale. Costs ;arily vary with circumstances so that the charges nuch more heavily on thinly populated counties. So Scotland is concerned, I might quote the County of rland where about 650 children are provided with H3ri by the authorities at a total cost of £28,000 or £43 for every pupil conveyed.

overall plan, however expensive, has opened out tional facilities on a scale that could not have been nplated in former times and for this reason the :s necessarily involved are regarded with a tolerant y most of those who take the trouble to inform elves fully on the matter.

m the economic angle there is another important which must be taken into account. This is the

fact that in some older areas substantial school buildings are in existence whilst in the immediate vicinity the child population is diminishing. Perhaps at some little distance a new housing estate then grows up. The general trend is for such development to provide a large measure of accommodation for the young-marrieds so that here the juvenile population rapidly increases. As will readily be under-. stood, when such circumstances arise, it is a much better economic proposition to provide transportation to the existing establishment rather than immediately to attempt any one of the available alternatives.

Continuing Value of Coaches When changes are finally made in the set-up, the probability is that the old school will be closed and children from its surrounding area will be transported to some new establishment. In the process of welding the schools of various types into a harmonious whole it appears likely that coaches will play a role of continuing value. Whilst a considerable amount of money is necessarily involved, this flow of pupils towards the most suitable establishments readily available would appear to be the only practical solution of the many difficulties which have to be faced.

In parts of Scotland some uneasiness is felt by p.s.v. operators who have seen outsiders gain contracts for the employment of miniature buses on low-density routes of which there are considerable numbers in the more remote districts. As in England, taxis are used to carry the children where only a few are travelling together to a particular destination. In this connection, an instance is quoted of a man who gained a foothold in the hire-car business by purchasing a vehicle and successfully tendering

to convey his young brothers and sisters between home and school. At any rate he had the advantage of the irreducible minimum of dead mileage to his starting point!

Proximity to the originating points is the ultimate reason why school contracts are frequently secured by local independents although the large organizations, of course, enjoy their share in this business as well as in the intensification of scheduled services as a result of scholars' contract traffic. Scottish Omnibuses, Ltd., for example, serve the south-east, whilst Western S.M.T. share the work in Ayrshire and the south-west. Central S.M.T. function in the industrial belt, whilst Alexanders (Midland), Ltd., satisfy part of the demand around Falkirk, Grangemouth and Stirling. Alexanders (Fife), Ltd., and Alexanders (Northern). Ltd., operate school services in the north-east and Highland Omnibuses, Ltd., take their part around Inverness.

Driver's Discretion In the farther counties, school buses and their drivers are very much part of the pattern of juvenile life. The county education authority may lay down the timetable, but it is the individual driver who knows by heart just how many small figures should be waiting at each of the cross-roads or lane-ends along his route. Often the children have to walk fair distance's before they even join the bus and, whilst strict compliance with the schedule is demanded by some county authorities, there are others who leave it to the driver's discretion to extend an extra few minutes' grace if the expected number of children are not waiting at the appointed spot.

In Caithness, in the tar north-east corner of the Scottish mainland, 23 contract routes are operated, giving a total of 180 miles on service each day at a cost of something like £12,500 a year. The lengthiest journey between pickingup point and school is 27 miles. The longer routes, with the larger numbers, of pupils, are normally the subject of

tender by the two large organizations in the arca. T undertakings also convey nearly half the county's tote 700 travelling pupils on their public service buses.

Small contractors tender for the shorter routes in I own areas, frequently using mini-buses or saloon 4 Apart from those using school buses, about 45 per cen the children are carried under various forms of cont with 5 per cent. being given cycle allowances, or in s cases, being carried by their parents in private cars.

The scattered area of Argyll in the west has 1,950 pi who, one way or another, are conveyed daily to the con] 103 schools, 14 of which have secondary departments. the 89 schools that cater for only primary pupils, 24 situated on the islands of Mull, Coll, Tiree, Islay, . and Colonsay.

About 30 vehicles are run under regular school contr the working being mostly in the hands of small open' and many of the services being executed by units of taxi class rather than actual buses. The longest jou between terminal and school, which was institute( the request of the parents, is one of 29 miles. T are three other runs between 23 and 25 miles. Altoge the cost of school transport for the County of Argyll dt. the 1960-61 year amounted to approximately £54,00C E28,000 for 650 Pupils Sutherland, to which I have already referred, sp £28,000 annually in carrying the 650 pupils. To pen this work there are usually contracts in force for 15 bi which are mainly provided by the smaller operators, between 25 and 30 other vehicles. In this instance longest single journey made regularly is between Lairg Golspie, a distance of 18 miles.

Within the Inverness County Education area 2 children are normally carried under the scheme w regularly employs 32 buses, mainly those of the sm independent operators. In Inverness County they rt weekly total of 7,562 miles, the longest trip being 20 Because of the exposed conditions on Orkney, ra more transport is needed there than in many main areas and about £20,000 is spent on conveying 700 chil to school, the longest individual journey being 20 n The task is chiefly in the hands of smaller operators work to timetables and safety regulations laid dowr the county education authority, the actual operation t checked by the head teacher.

Altogether, the educational authorities are vali customers for Scotland's passenger transport operators. their part the latter supply a service that is essentiz today's pattern of education. And they have made se dary education available to many of the rising gened to whom it otherwise would have been denied.

Because of the nature of the service performed b staff and vehicles road transport's course in this field si set for many years to come.

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